Tongues and prophecy – gifts that secure our future
No one except God can see what is really in a person’s heart. However, it is through the tongue that hidden things become known. Jesus said, “The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.” Luke 6:45. By paying attention to the words we speak, we become more aware of the true state of our hearts.
However, the tongue is also the part that determines the destiny of a person. Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” Jesus said, “For by your words you will be justified.” Matthew 12:33. Therefore, if we want to see changes to our life, we must change the way we speak.
It is no wonder that the ministry of the Spirit seeks to transform the way a person speaks through Spiritual gifts. The gift of tongues and prophecy are avenues that God uses to regenerate a person’s life and secure his future.
The tongue is the bridge between a dream and its fulfillment
The tongue is the catalyst that brings dreams into fruition. The declaration of the tongue is the bridge between a dream and its ultimate fulfillment. Jesus said,
“Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, Be taken up and cast into the sea, and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him.” Mark 11:23
Whenever a believer yields his body in obedience to the Spirit, his heart and mind will begin to flow with Spirit’s unction. How do we subject a man’s body in obedience to God? James 3:4-5 says, the tongue is like the rudder of a ship, it is small but it directs the movement of the whole body. In other words, if the tongue speaks, the body will follow. Hence, in the practice of the gift of tongues and prophecy, the heart and mind will begin to realign themselves to the Spirit. Tongues are unintelligible utterances of the Spirit. Whereas prophecy are utterances in an intelligible language. As a person learns to yield his tongue to the Spirit by declaring God’s will and promises, his heart and mind becomes edified (see 1 Corinthians 14:4). Hence, we must endeavor to yield our hearts and minds to the Spirit every moment of the day by speaking positive words. Ephesians 5:18-20 says,
Be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father. (Ephesians 5:18-20)
Figure 6.8 illustrates this progression: In being filled with the Spirit, we reinforce the mindset of God and the heart of faith by giving thanks to God with our tongue leading to action. Therefore, when we prophecy and speak in tongues, our hearts and minds are edified by the wisdom and grace of God.
The Story of Gideon
Gideon turned from timid farmer to great deliverer when he yielded his tongue to the Spirit by blowing the trumpet. By blowing the trumpet, he utters a prophetic declaration of victory to the nation. Judges 6:34 says,
So the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon; and he blew a trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called together to follow him. (Judges 6:34)
As Gideon blew the trumpet the Spirit stirs up Gideon’s courage and move him into action. The sounding of the trumpet was a prophetic testimony of his faith in victory against the Midianites. Here, we see the Spirit transforming the way he thought (divine wisdom) and felt (faith). The Spirit gave Gideon divine wisdom and strategy that victory comes not from numbers or physical resources. God told Gideon to choose 300 men out of the 32,000 men who gathered to fight against the Midianites. Armed with just 300 men, Gideon conceived a plan to engage the Midianites without drawing a sword. Encouraged by the use of the trumpet, the 300 men approached the Midianite camp that night and set a chorus of trumpets towards the sleeping Midianites. Alarmed by the trumpet sound, they set their own swords against one another. On that day, with just 300 men, and without drawing a sword, 120,000 enemy troops fell under Gideon (Judges 8:10). Gideon had learned to flow with the Spirit’s power beginning with obedience of the tongue.
Consequently, the Spirit changed the way Gideon faced insurmountable challenges. As Gideon and the 300 men pursued the 15,000 Midianites who fled, wearied from the pursuit, the leaders of Succoth refused to provide bread to them thinking they would not succeed. Gideon again gave a prophetic utterance of victory, “All right, when the Lord has given Zebah and Zalmunna (leaders of the Midianites) into my hand, then I will thrash your bodies with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers.” Judges 8:7. After he slaughtered the Midianites, he returned and disciplined the men of Succoth (Judges 8:16).
When believers learn to yield their tongues to the Spirit by speaking prophetically, the Spirit gives wisdom, and faith to accomplish the impossible.
In the book of Ezekiel, when prophet Ezekiel was called into the ministry, the very first lesson he learned was absolute obedience to the Spirit. When God spoke to him, he yielded every part of his body to the Spirit. The Spirit then entered him and directed his every move; his standing up, his travelling, and his speaking (Ezekiel 2:2, 3:14,22-24,27). Believers must learn to submit our hearts and minds to God by yielding our tongues to the Spirit.
In the New Testament, Jesus started His ministry anointed with supernatural power after being baptized by the Spirit. Yielding and flowing with the Spirit is an intentional and conscientious effort on our part. It is the daily discipline of speaking in tongues and in prophesying, through which we secure our future one day at a time.